Pather Panchali Chapter 12

Opu is playing his favourite game of hide and seek with his mother. He goes away with her spices which
exasperates Shorbojaya but she is patient and remembes his similar antics of yester years with love. He
has covered himself with dust by playing with an old sack and meanwhile Durga comes in with a few
mangoes she got from Raji's aunt. It is the festival of Holy Pond and Durga is least fit to perform the
rituals in her untidy state. Just then Horihar comes in looking for embers for his hukkah and Shorbojaya
bursts out in anger. As she calmed down Horihar explains to her about their state of affairs. The
initiation ceremony which Horihar is supposed to solemnise has been postponed. And he can't raise the
matter of providing them land and house to settle down. It is a great disappointment for Shorbojaya.
She laments about their abject condition. And Horihar is furious when he thinks about the Mukherji s
swindling their rightful rent of the orchard. His cousin Nilmoni is said to have borrowed money from
Mukherji and he is taking the rent as interest, a story which Horihar refuses to believe. He thinks
Nilmoni's wife has been fooled while Shorbojaya feels she is playing along with Mukherji to impose her
rights over the orchard.

That afternoon a summer storm blows up and Durga runs out with Opu to Mukherji's orchard to pick the
mango windfalls. But Mukherji children are also out and Shotu shouts at them. Durga feigns excitement
and calls out to Opu to get to the other place. Ranu feels bad for having sent them away.Opu did not
understand what it is all about and asks Durga about the other place. Durga then thinks of the orchard
near Moat lake. It is a remote and lonely place and getting mangoes from the wild undergrowth is
difficult. They go there nevertheless and get caught in the rain. Opu is terrified and Durga chants a
prayer. It is getting dark and Shorbojaya is worried about them. Very soon they are back with a coconut
from the Mukherjis. The kids want their mother to make some sweets.

Later Shorbojaya is out to draw water from Mukherji's well and hears Shejbou cursing Opu and Durga
for having stolen a coconut. As soon as she gets back, Shorbojaya asks the children to return the
coconut as sh is fearful of the curse's effect. She makes her own prayer to ward off the evil.